A banana bunch lying under a vine is among the fruit Donkey Kong Jr. can drop on enemies in Stage 1 of his debut game. Like every other fruit in the game, this banana bunch awards the player 400 points if touched.

The Banana is the most common item featured in the Donkey Kong series of games. This fruit appears in every single Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land title. They work similarly to the Coins from the Mario franchise. In these games, collecting one hundred bananas will give a Kong an extra life. Additionally, bananas often point in the direction of secret areas, hidden items, and the end of a level. A Banana Bunch is worth ten regular bananas, and Donkey Kong can sometimes find one by Hand Slapping in particular spots.

Bananas appear in Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, reprising their role from the earlier Country games. In these games, Banana Bunches are worth five regular bananas instead of ten. However, there is also a bigger type of bunch that is fairly rare and worth ten bananas. Additionally, in Donkey Kong Country Returns, there are winged bananas that float around in certain areas, which are worth five bananas. In the Golden Temple, there are enormous, floating bananas (amongst other fruit) that are large enough to serve as platforms for Donkey and Diddy Kong.

In Donkey Kong 64, bananas come in five colors. Each color can only be collected by a specific Kong: yellow for Donkey Kong, red for Diddy Kong, purple for Tiny Kong, blue for Lanky Kong, and green for Chunky Kong. Bananas are needed to feed Scoff in order to allow Troff to open the door to the level's boss. There are exactly 500 bananas (100 per color) in each of the game's seven levels, for a total of 3,500 bananas in the entire game. In this game, Banana Bunches are worth five bananas, unlike in the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy where they are worth ten. Banana Balloons appear exclusively in this game, and are worth ten bananas. However, the Kongs must pop these balloons with their weapons in order to obtain their bananas.

Aside from this, Bananas, or rather, their peels, played an important role in the final battle against K. Rool, more specifically when fighting him as Lanky Kong. Due to K. Rool being blinded due a light fixture falling on him, Lanky used barrels containing giant banana peels to place one on the ring, and then deliberately play music to K. Rool to lure him over to the banana peel so he'd slip on it.

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, banana bunches reprise their original role from Donkey Kong Jr. as fruit that can be dropped on enemies to attack them. This time, they do not award the player any points if touched, but will award 500 points if they hit enemy. They are present in Levels 2-5, 2-DK, 2-2+, 2-5+, and 2-DK+.

Normal bananas and banana bunches also appear in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, this time called Beats. In this game, Donkey Kong's banana total acts as his overall health (in the New Play Control! version, they only act as his health for boss battles); losing all of his beats results in a Game Over. Normal bananas are worth one Beat, and bunches are worth three, but stringing together multiple combos and clap grabbing multiple bananas increases the amount of Beats they are worth. Additionally, giant banana bunches also appear at the ends of the levels in the Banana Kingdom and the level Banana Banquet. Biting these, as well as the other giant fruits, causes juice to gush out and the level to end. Lastly, there is a minigame after said levels involving Donkey Kong eating as many bananas as he can in the allotted period of time, to increase his Beat total for that level.

The Banana (also known as the Banana Peel) is one of the most common items in the Mario Kart series and has appeared in every game of the series. A Banana Peel causes a kart to spin-out if the vehicle touches the slippery item, slowing them down a bit. Banana Peels can either be placed behind a kart, or be thrown forward down the track. It can also be held behind the kart as a defensive countermeasure against homing Red Shells and, to a lesser extent, Green Shells. Bananas can also come in threes, known as Triple Bananas. When used, three bananas automatically attach themselves to the back of the kart. Like many other items in the Mario franchise, the Banana has eyes. The Banana also appears as the emblem of the Banana Cup.

In Mario Kart 64, along with single bananas, bananas appear in fives instead of threes, and are known as Banana Bunches. Banana Bunches function the same as Bananas, except that when a racer runs into the center of the Banana Bunch line when another player is carrying it, a sound effect will play and the player will get considerably slowed down. The icon for Banana Bunches displays only four bananas as opposed to five. In addition, only one of the bananas features eyes.

Being the Kongs' favorite food, Bananas serve as the main victuals in the comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24" when Donkey and his friends travel to Outer Space in order to stop aliens from pulling Earth away from the sun. As it turns out, the culprits just erroneously took the planet for a huge coconut, a fruit their species adores. Diddy suggests to give Bananas to the extraterrestrials as a compensation to get Earth back. This plan works, and the aliens are enthusiastic about the Bananas' taste.

The Banana is a popular item that shows up in many minigames in the Mario Party series. They are mainly featured in Donkey Kong minigames, where bananas are worth one, two, or three coins depending on a random multiplayer. The banana also appears in many Mic Minigames. In Mario Party 5 and the other Mario Party games after, there is a kind of banana called Banana Bunches. Banana Bunches are worth five bananas. They are mainly found in Donkey Kong minigames.

In Mario Party 9, Bananas replace Mini Stars in the unlockable board DK's Jungle Ruins. On this board, the players' goal is to collect the most Bananas. They can be won on this board in all the same ways that Mini Stars can be won on other boards. Z-Bananas also appear on this board as a counterpart to Mini Ztars.

Bananas grow throughout the Isle Delfino and are sold in Delfino Plaza's market sector by a street vendor. A local woman took enough interest in them to request Mario's help in gathering them. In Ricco Harbor, a supply of Bananas and other fruit are stored in a gigantic tank used in the episode "Yoshi's Fruit Adventure". Hotel Delfino in Sirena Beach sell the fruit at fruit bars as well. The Yoshis on the island turn into Pink Yoshis after eating them. They also fall faster and have more friction than other fruits.

In Mario Power Tennis, in the mode where players can hit the balls through Item Boxes, the Banana tends to appear, known as "Slippery Danger" within the game. The player has to hit the ball with the racquet in order to use the item. When used, the banana will be attached with the ball until it stays still on the ground in the case the ball bounces. Also,the Garbage Can Ghost in the Luigi's Mansion stage throws bananas that have the same function as the regular bananas as a stage gimmick.

In Mario Golf: World Tour, bananas are seen in food bowls on some tables of the Castle Club's Royal Room, as well as inside barrels, which are the tee markers of the DK Jungle course. Golf gear is designed based on this item and available for use by Miis. In Diddy Kong's Bogey animation, he eats a banana while lying down and throws it on the ground. He does the same when he gets a Double Bogey or worse, but then he tries to get up and walk, only to slip on the banana.

In the Mario Strikers games, the Banana acts as an item that players can collect. Once used, the player will drop three or five banana peels behind them, which will proceed to knock over any player who runs into them. This includes both the opponent, and the user. If used near an edge, only a few banana's will stay on the field, as the other banana's will fall off the stadium. A similar item is the Giant Banana.

During Diddy Kong's ground entrance, he pulls out a Banana, and whacks it on his hand, which is used to say that he is going to crush his opponent.

Banana Peels reappear in Mario Sports Mix. They can either stop opponents for a short time, or power up the ball or puck. When used as an item shot, the ball will make a curved path, a reference to the face that bananas themselves are curved, and can cause opposing players to slip if they touch it. In Western Junction, a train with cars full of Banana Peels may drive through the court, and Shy Guys on board the train will throw Banana Peels on the court so any player may slip over them.

The peel from a Japanese fiber banana of the Musaceae plant family. It contains a high volume of vegetable oil, which oozes out when the peel is stepped on, making things slippery. In Smash Bros., the peel fulfills its destiny as a comedic prop by making passersby slip. Characters who land on their backsides will be defenseless until they recover their footing.

Looks like someone had a nice snack and didn't bother to clean up afterward... As you may suspect, stepping on a banana peel sends you falling to the ground and exposes you to attacks. You can throw these at your opponents too, but please clean up when you're done, all right?

HEY! Put that banana peel in the bin! ...Oh, you're going to trip up your opponent with it? Carry on, then. Of course, picking up and throwing banana peels at people is disgusting, but they'll have a hard time keeping their defences up if they're putting on a one-man slapstick act, so...go ahead.

Trading Card Description:"A delicious fruit and a great source of potassium, the single Banana is, simply, good for you. But this is Mario Kart Wii we're talking about and there are no edible bananas here...only the slippery Banana peel that you and your racing rivals can toss out on the track. If your Kart or Bike touches a Banana you won't peel out, you'll spin out. That, of course, leads to longer lap times."Game Tip!:"When tossing a Banana out in front of your vehicle, be aware of where it lands. You don't want to be the recipient of your own nefarious tactics."